Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I'm still a noob to outboards. What all do you guys do to winterize your boat? I'm south of DFW in TX, so we probably won't have a whole lot of freezing days. But we will have some.

So what do you guys do? If I tilt the engine all the way up, does that somehow drain all the water? Or do I need to remove a cap or something first? Saw a post from a veteran member on another forum, saying that there is no need to attempt to drain any of the water. That all modern outboards are self draining. So there seems to be some varying info out there.

Since it appears that your boat is stored on a trailer then by all means leave your motor all the way down as that will allow all water to drain out and nothing else needs to be done.

Mix in a dose of Marine Stabil or whichever flavor of fuel storage stabilizer you prefer into a full tank of gas as while plastic tanks don't tend to sweat, metal tanks will and this is what attracts water into your fuel. Run this mixture long enough to ensure it has made its way into the carbs or injectors. Myself I run Stabil year round so that I never have to think about adding it at the end.

Also a good time to change the oil if it's a 4 stroke and to change out the lower unit oil.

If there's water in the lower unit, this lets you diagnose the reason why and fix it before next season.
Also, if there's water in your lower unit and it freezes, you could wind up with a cracked housing.

Drain live wells completely.

Double check battery connections. ( I found a battery strap that had failed while inspecting things) I have a battery minder I plug in to keep the batteries charged.

Open up all storage, pull out all life jackets, etc and let everything get good and dried out.

Double check trailer axles and ensure they're properly greased and that the tires are properly inflated, also check to make sure all lights work.

I'm fortunate that I own a 45x100 metal building and my toon is backed into it for the winter. So it was easy to empty the storage bins and make sure everything is dry and mold/mildew free.

Thanks. Whole thing sounds pretty easy.

What are people paying to service a typical Yamaha or similar 4 stroke? My dealer is charging $400. This includes lower unit oil, fuel filter, etc etc. Then another $50 if I want it fogged. What are peoples thoughts on getting it fogged? Will end up being 5 months no drive time.

I can't imagine paying $400 for some oil and 2 filters.

Let's face it, boat dealers will do whatever they can to get into a customer's pocketbook.

For my Yamaha F150, I can purchase a $5 quart of Pennzoil lower unit grease, 10W30 motor oil and a filter for a Ford Focus 2.0 engine for about $30. And I'm winterized within 30 minutes.

Because Mid South weather is not that harsh and my boat remains in a boathouse slung out of the water, I've never done much winterization. We've been too busy the last 2 summers to do much boating, so 100% gasoline, Stabil and RingFree Plus is about all I've added to my tank.

robertm wrote:What are people paying to service a typical Yamaha or similar 4 stroke? My dealer is charging $400. This includes lower unit oil, fuel filter, etc etc. Then another $50 if I want it fogged. What are peoples thoughts on getting it fogged? Will end up being 5 months no drive time.

Up here that would also get it wrapped, Which is $12 a foot. That sounds awful.

I've called three different places and all are $400 up to $500. They are saying there are several filters which are very expensive. Three hrs of work.

I had Shady Creek Marina do my boat this year like they did last year.

They pulled the boat out of the water, putting it on the trailer that they'd checked tire pressure on and made sure the bearings were greased.

They pressure washed it clean to remove the 8 months of muck and zebra mussels, changed the lower unit oil, changed the motor oil and filter, changed the fuel filter and stabilized the fuel.

They also checked & cleaned the battery terminals, and replaced a battery tie down strap (didn't charge for it).

For this my actual bill was $318.09 including Kansas Sales Tax.

Since my Yamaha 90 is still under warranty, I figure by having the dealer I bought it from servicing it every year, if that motor has an issue, it should simplify the questions asked about "Who serviced it?"

Once it's no longer under warranty, I might start doing some of that maintenance myself down the line, but for now I'm happy with the way they've taken care of things.

When I got it back to my Toy Box after topping off the fuel tank, I just backed it in, took everything out of all the compartments to ensure it was good and dry, and it's all ready to take back to the lake next spring.

Mine is pick up from boat landing oils change shrink rapped and stored at there place and brought to boat landing in spring for $480.00 22ft pontoon 4 stroke 115

Found another dealer that will do the work for $325 not including the fuel/water separator filter. I'm going to find that cheap on the net and do myself. They will also acid wash the logs for about $250. That's much better than the $425 other place quoted me.

My dealer changed engine oil, filters, lower unit oil, added fuel stabilizer, fogged cylinders - $224

robertm wrote:They will also acid wash the logs for about $250. That's much better than the $425 other place quoted me.

I acid wash my logs at the end of every season. Costs me $12 for a gallon of "mag wheel cleaner" that my local neighborhood boat / hardware store only stocks to wash pontoons. Others here use HVAC coil cleaner or toilet bowl cleaner with good results. (Do a search if you've got some time.)

I use a pump sprayer and the whole process takes me about an hour.

Bring me your boat and I'll acid wash it for $225.